Insulation For Garden Pipe

[KittyGlitter]

Please could anyone recommend the best type of insulation for an outdoor garden tap? It has a copper pipe. Thank you.

[douglas9401]

Snapover lengths of foam insulation for the pipe and one of those pyramid shaped covers with a drawstring for the tap.

Turning off he water supply to the tap is best for extended periods below zero though.

[Atheist]

Is the tap fixed to the house wall with only a bit of copper exposed, where it comes through the wall? Or is the tap some way from the house, with a longer run of exposed copper pipe?

Insulation doesn't warm the pipe, it simply slows down the rate of cooling. Sooner or later the water in the pipe would freeze if the outside temp was below freezing. If there is hardly any exposed pipe, then the heat in the pipe which is indoors will conduct along the copper to the outside, and if there is hardly any exposed pipe, then that could be enough to stop freezing and insulation would help.

Has the tap and pipework been in place for long, and has it ever frozen before?

[bookbinder]

Any of these would do the trick:

https://www.diy.com/departments/diall-tap-cover-l-0-23m/3663602772781_BQ.prd

[Peter Pedant]

Yes Douglas-any foamy stuff with air bubbles in it

[gingejbee]

Over winter, I simply close off the supply to the outdoor tap and drain off any water and leave the tap open.

No water - nothing to freeze.